


A Christmas Tradition

by theacedennis



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:34:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27534574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theacedennis/pseuds/theacedennis
Summary: Remus and Sirius create a fort together every Christmas, but that's not the only thing that's building between them.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Kudos: 38





	1. First Year

Remus woke to Sirius standing on his bed, stretching his arms, trying to reach the top of the canopy over Remus's bed.

“What in Merlin’s name are you doing?"

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m building us a fort. Correction: We’re building ourselves a fort.”

“Is there any reason for this fort?”

"Must there be a reason for a fort? Come on, Remus. We’ve got the whole room to ourselves! It’s Christmas. It’ll be fun.”

Remus scooted out of the way so Sirius could use his bed to jump and wrap the blanket around his post. It took a few tries, but once he’d done it, Sirius flopped onto the bed next to Remus. 

Remus looked around the room, taking stock. “Let’s push the beds flat up against the wall so we have more room for the middle section.” 

“That’ll make it harder to string the blankets together.”

“Not up for the challenge?”

“How dare you, Remus,” Sirius said, pinning him down. They’d known each other only a few months, but Remus already knew all of Sirius’s moves. He countered the pin with a well-placed tickle and soon flipped their positions. Sirius fought back with more strength than he realized but Remus was good at wriggling out of Sirius’s grasp. They play-fought for a while before slumping back onto the bed. They looked at each other, still breathing hard from their battle. Sirius jumped up and began moving the beds to the wall.

After the beds were moved, they stripped all the beds of their sheets and blankets to give themselves extra materials. Pillows, blankets, even the canopy over James’s bed was fair game. They nestled pillows, tied blankets and even stole one of Hagrid’s nearly-gone pumpkins to use as an anchor (it was Remus’s idea and Sirius had needed no convincing).

Returning from the pumpkin escapade, Remus insisted he needed ice cream, no matter the weather.

They walked down the hallway acting as if covert spies, instead of kids going to the kitchens for food. It was not strictly allowed, but neither was it a particularly enforceable rule. It was food! Still, the fun of it was pretending it was a great operation. And fun with it they had. 

“Seems odd to expect us to only eat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” Remus said once they had arrived. “What if I want ice cream? What if I want something to nibble on in the night? What if I want to eat my eggs any meal of day?”

“Control, my friend, control. That or a secret plan to keep us from the ice cream. Switch,” he cried, offering his vanilla with nuts and fudge on top to trade with Remus’s plain chocolate. 

“You might be onto something. Most students don’t even know where the kitchen is much less how to get in. Perhaps it is a secret plan.”

“I’m telling you, this castle is full of secrets and no one wants us to find them. But I do. I, Sirius Black, do challenge myself and you, Remus Lupin, as well as our friends Peter Pettigrew and James Potter, who cannot at the present moment agree but who are honor-bound to join, to learn as many secrets about Hogwarts as we can fit in our seven years here.”

“I, Remus Lupin, say yay to your challenge. It is our duty to discover the treasure at our feet. Switch."

They returned to their dormitory and successfully anchored a particularly tricky structure they were creating involving a pillow suspended by blankets several feet off the ground (“To make standing a much more comfortable experience,” Sirius claimed).

After several hours of exhausting work, they were finally able to properly lay back and enjoy their creation. It was cozy and warm, only added to by the knowledge that it was their own. Remus had been more focused on the blanket ceiling than the areas below, so Sirius created signs and insisted Remus call each area by its proper name. There was a lounge; the kitchen, consisting of a pile of snacks the house elves had insisted they take; the drawing room (Remus couldn’t imagine the point of this, but didn’t protest); and the bedroom.

“I’m sorry I ever doubted the fort. I didn’t realize how important they were.”

Putting his hand over Remus’s, Sirius said sweetly, “That’s what you have me for.”


	2. Third Year

“See you in a few weeks,” Remus shouted, waving frantically with Sirius at James and Peter as they got on the train. “Well, Sirius, what should we do this year?”

“Wait for it.”

“What?”

“Wait for it…”

“What am I—“

“Now!” Sirius shouted and grabbed Remus’s hand just as the train moved out of sight. 

They ran all the way up through the castle and to their dormitory, hands still locked together.

“What are we doing Sirius?”

“We couldn’t start with them here, we had to wait. Here,” he said, tossing Remus the sheets he was stripping from Peter and James’s beds.

“Another fort?”

“Of course, dear Remus,” he said, as if that were his full name. “Of course. It’s a tradition.”

“We’ve only done it twice!”

“Are you protesting? Do you not want to make a fort?”

“Of course not. I’d love to.”

“Good. Not like you had a choice anyway.”

Remus frowned at his surroundings. “We need to make it taller this year.” 

“Brilliant idea, my dear Remus.”

“Why do you keep calling me that?“

“It’s Christmas,” Sirius said, shrugging, as if this answered the question. But Remus liked it and decided not to press. 

———————————————————————————————————————

They peeked around the corner, checking Hagrid’s door. 

“Look nonchalant, in case he’s looking,” Remus whispered. 

Sirius started to whistle. 

“Too nonchalant! Too nonchalant!” 

Sirius relaxed, giggling at the sight of an agitated Moony. “I think the coast is clear,” he said, brushing his hand against Remus’s before linking arms with him and walking toward the Forest. 

“What exactly do we expect to find in here that will help us build a fort?” 

“Who knows? That’s what makes it so exciting. Adventure!” He shouted the last word and ran ahead into the woods. 

Remus followed, more afraid of finding trouble than of getting into it, but knowing that Sirius’s mind was set. Besides, he couldn’t help being curious about the Forbidden Forest. It was, well, forbidden. He and his friends had discovered so many secrets about the castle, but, save his monthly trips to the Whomping Willow, he didn’t know many secrets of the grounds. Here was a treasure trove of unknown things. What they could find in there that would help them build a fort, he didn’t know, but he wanted to know. There must be something useful.

Sirius picked up a sizable branch. “Could use this to prop up the middle, if we find a few more.” He carried on, using it as a walking stick. He promptly dropped it as soon as he saw the next thing to catch his interest, a group of what looked like little twig-like creatures. He stuck his finger out to touch one, but withdrew it immediately, yelping in pain when it bit him, unhappy to be disturbed.

Remus picked up the discarded walking stick. “Be careful!” he hissed. Remus had no desire to be a stick-in-the-mud, but they were in the Forbidden Forest after all. They were definitely not supposed to be here, certainly not unsupervised. “Come on, let’s look for something useful.”

“It was cute! But it betrayed me!” He sized up his injured finger, then shrugged. 

They trudged deeper into the forest, picking up items and then throwing them to the side. Then they found what they needed. Remus was the first to spot it.

“Is that what I think it is?” Sirius asked, putting his hand on Remus’s shoulder to lean in for closer inspection. 

“A unicorn hair. I didn’t think I’d see one of these outside of sixth-year potions class. But that’s been dried. This is—“

“Fresh.”

“Are we allowed to take it?”

“We’re not allowed to be here. But seeing as we are, I don’t see why not. The unicorn doesn’t need it anymore. And we can use it to keep together the library that keeps falling down.”

They grabbed a few other large sticks and stones that could be used, but this was clearly their prize from the forest. Having found such a treasure, they both agreed the adventure outside was done and went back to the dormitory, by way of the Great Hall to get some cider, which they toasted happily.

———————————————————————————————————————

Their work finally done (the forts were becoming ever more elaborate each year), Remus collapsed into the center of the fort, ready to start enjoying the work they’d done. Sirius crawled over to his spot.

They lay next to each other and Sirius, as he did every year, put his hand in Remus’s. Neither were sure why they were so affectionate over Christmas and less so at other times of the year, even when they were alone, but they liked it. It was just their time to unabashedly be close in a way they weren’t when school was going.

He felt safe in the fort. Safe with Sirius. Safe in a way he didn’t always feel.

Christmas was special that way.


	3. Fifth Year

“Whacha doing, Moons?” 

“Washing my sheets. Making sure they’re ready.” 

“Ready...” 

Remus gave him an exasperated, well-isn’t-it-obvious look. 

“I should’ve told you,” Sirius said. 

Remus froze, afraid of where this was going. 

“James’s mum and dad invited me for Christmas.” 

“And?” 

“They’ve been asking for years and it seemed rude to keep saying no.” 

“So you wait until the last minute to tell me?” 

“I didn’t know what to say.” 

Remus bit back a retort that would’ve definitely included the word “coward” a few times. They both knew it. He was a coward for leaving and he was a coward for not telling him. Christmas was theirs and theirs alone. And last year…last year… 

He thought of last year. His hand over Sirius’s dark, bare chest (it was hot inside the fort that year). Sirius’s hand caressing his arm. And then the almost of it all. Almost a kiss. Almost them. Almost changing everything. 

But then one or both of them pulled away, Remus wasn’t even sure who.

And apparently their almost-kiss hadn’t meant to Sirius what it did to Remus. Or maybe he’d imagined it all. He supposed it made sense. He thought maybe Christmas would be different, but nothing had happened in the intervening year. Well, not nothing, but maybe he’d imagined the long looks and brushed hands. Maybe there was nothing there. Still, Christmas seemed like the time to find out. But not if one of them left. 

“Fine, I’ll see you in a few weeks then, Sirius. Have a good time.” He left the room, unsure of where to go, but knowing he couldn’t stay to hear Sirius’s response. Perhaps he’d shown his hand too early, but even last year aside, this was their thing. Christmas had never been something Remus cared too much about before. He didn’t believe the things his parents believed about Christmas, which always put him in a weird place. But Sirius had reclaimed Christmas for him. It was their time and it felt special. Maybe he was overreacting, but it felt like Sirius was throwing away that specialness. 

He hurried down to the kitchens. Sirius was unlikely to follow him, but if he did, he did not want to be found. Besides, if any occasion called for some chocolate, it was this. 

———————————————————————————————————————

Remus awoke with a start. There was a tap at the window. 

He figured it was an owl. Probably with Christmas tidings from James who usually started celebrating a holiday at midnight. But it wasn’t an owl. 

It was Sirius. 

He opened the small window and with some trouble, even as a dog, Sirius climbed through, broom in hand. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking like he genuinely meant it. “I’m so sorry. I ran away from this. From us. I don’t want to anymore.” He leaned in, clearly intent on kissing Remus, but waiting for him to lean in too for confirmation. Remus obliged happily. It felt so good to kiss him, to finally finally kiss him. He felt so warm, even though Remus could tell he was shivering from the cold. Without breaking the kiss, he moved them toward the bed. 

“Get under the covers.” 

“Remus!” 

“You’re freezing! We need to get you warm.” Remus said, then added with a surprising amount of confidence, "This is going to be a long night, I assure you." 

———————————————————————————————————————

They stayed up all night talking, kissing, and making good on their tradition.

“Help me. This sheet’s beginning to tear,” Sirius said. 

Remus pulled out his wand.

“Absolutely not!” Sirius shouted, taking Remus’s wand and throwing it across the room.

“I can fix it!”

“No magic allowed to make the fort. I won’t have any of that nonsense.”

“Do you think that…I mean, you don’t suppose that…well, are we too old for this?”

Sirius didn’t even look at him. He just whacked him in the face with a pillow and barked, “Start fortifying the corners.”

Remus did as he was told, stacking things to make the blankets raise higher in the corners of the room when he had an idea. He grabbed Peter’s mattress and hoisted it so it leaned against the wall to help hold up the fort. Then he threw himself straight onto the bed and bounced off. Sirius abandoned what he was fiddling with an immediately came to fling himself at the bed as well. 

“You know,” Sirius said, “If we put it vertically, we could bounce easier.” And so they turned it vertical. It led to a strange part of the fort, barely attached to the rest, but it gave them a small space to spin into the bed. Soon, they started spinning each other into the bed. It ended as a sort of dance they were doing, laughing as they moved. 

After a while, they realized they hadn’t spun each other into the mattress-wall for some time, but had continued dancing. Sirius leaned forward and Remus kissed him, beyond happy to finally be able to do so.


	4. Seventh Year

“Sirius!”

“What? I’m just trying to give them the proper send-off,” he say, pulling his trousers back up.

“By mooning the train?”

“It was a show of respect! If you do it with me, you'll be Moonying the train."

Remus rolled his eyes, but his grin gave him away. “Come on,” he said, this year taking Sirius’s hand, “We’ve got work to do.”

“Now we’re talking,” Sirius said, allowing himself to be dragged along by Remus before quickly taking the lead.

Sirius evidently thought Remus was not moving quickly enough and simply picked him up and carried him quickly back to the Tower.

“What’s the rush, Sirius? We have plenty of time to do the dormitory.”

Sirius giggled, but said nothing.

When they reached the portrait hole and gave the password, Sirius looked delighted. Remus was confused. There was a mound of pillows and blankets in the corner.

“We’re all alone,” Sirius said, turning Remus around to kiss him.

“But I thought,” Remus said in between kisses, “Cordelia Siphe was staying this year and Margo Bell definitely is.”

“I may or may not have given them each a sack of galleons to go sod off for Christmas. So we could have this,” he said, moving them over to the couch.

“Ahhh, very nice,” Remus said, laying down and pulling Sirius on top of him. “We should get started then, if we have the whole common room to do.”

“In a minute,” Sirius said, pulling Remus’s sweater off of him. "Merry Christmas, Moony.”

“Merry Christmas."


	5. The Last Fort

Cold. He was cold. He reached for his blanket, unsure how it had come off him, but it wasn’t there. Begrudgingly, he opened his eyes. 

Of course. 

He hadn’t forgotten, but he hadn’t anticipated it either. But as he looked at the fort already well underway, he was delighted they were carrying on their tradition. Christmas had always been the hardest time of year since everything had happened. He supposed that was true for most people who lost those they loved, but Christmas had been special to them. There hadn’t been a full moon on Christmas since their last year of school, but he’d always hoped it would fall Christmas so he wouldn’t have had to be conscious on the night itself. 

“I can’t believe you got all this done before I woke up,” Remus said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. 

“I am too,” Sirius agreed. “You’re usually such a light sleeper.” 

“I sleep better with you around.” 

Sirius stared lovingly at him. He even leaned in for a moment before shouting, “Temptress! Or, tempter! Nice try, dear Remus,” he said, giving him his old name back, “But I cannot be so easily distracted.” 

Remus laughed. Never distract Sirius from his goal. “How can I help?” 

“Sit there and look pretty,” Sirius replied. Remus smirked at him. “All right, all right. Spread the curtains to make a reading nook.” 

“Going to be doing a lot of reading, are we?” Remus asked. Sirius returned his earlier smirk. 

It felt good being back in their old patterns. So much had changed since they left school. They had lost so many years. But now they were back together and taking care of Harry, the way it always should have been. There was no way to make up for lost time but that didn’t stop them from trying. Figuring out how to be together as the adults they had become took time, but there was never any question that they’d work it out. They were just as in love as they’d always been. And they had the fort to show for it.


End file.
